MORE than 50 years after they appeared at the Sunderland Empire, The Beatles are back.

Though not the original Fab Four, the stars of Let It Be pay a faithful homage to the iconic band in their touring West End musical.

THE BEATLES AT THE SUNDERLAND EMPIRE - DECEMBER 1963 OLD REF NUMBER 31-3631

Wearsiders did a double-take yesterday when the stars of the musical took to the streets outside the High Street West venue where they’ll be performing all this week.

The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – were a relatively unknown act when they made their Wearside debut at Sunderland Empire on February 9, 1963, supporting singer Helen Shapiro.

It was two days before the Fab Four started recording the bulk of their debut album, Please Please Me – and they had only released two singles.

But by the end of that year, the Liverpudlians had three number ones and were on their way to being the biggest band in history.

Let It Be showcases the music of the world’s most successful rock’n’roll band and charts their meteoric rise from humble beginnings in Liverpool’s Cavern Club, through the height of Beatlemania, to their later studio masterpieces.

The show is packed with more than 40 of The Beatles’ greatest hits, including I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Hard Day’s Night, Day Tripper, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Strawberry Fields, When I’m 64, Get Back and many more.

l Let It Be is at Sunderland Empire until Saturday. Tickets are available from 0844 871 3022 and www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland.